Today, Rina Diaz is going to tell us about Machu Picchu.
W :
Yes. For a long time, it was lost and forgotten in the jungle.
M :
It sounds like it’s full of mystery. Please tell us more about it.
W :
Sure. It’s an ancient Incan city located in the Andes Mountains of Peru. It was built over 500 years ago by the Inca civilization.
M :
Then, who rediscovered it?
W :
That’s quite an interesting question. Hiram Bingham, a professor of South American history at Yale University, discovered it in 1911.
M :
How could that be possible?
W :
In 1911, he set out on an expedition to find the lost city of Vilcabamba. But what he found by chance was Machu Picchu.
M :
Wow! That’s really great!
W :
Right. It’s still not clear why this city was abandoned, but people believe Machu Picchu was used for religious or royal purposes by Emperor Pachacuti in the mid-15th century.
M :
I see. I’m really wondering what it looks like. Will you show us some pictures?